Quake Rattles Island -- And Shakes Up Perceptions

PUERTO RICO REPORT

SAN JUAN -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hit Puerto Rico a few days ago. At my house, the coffee table shook and a plastic cup swayed as if it were in a drunken sailor's hands.

No one on the island was injured.

But it was one of those moments that forces you to look at life a little differently and to ask yourself those hard questions we all would rather avoid. Questions such as: Am I doing all I can to help my neighbor? Or there's this one that bounces around my head late at night: Am I one of those people who only sees the worst in the world?

Oh, there are plenty of bad things happening on an island with a high crime rate, high unemployment and floundering public schools. Still, there's plenty of good that happens here, and in front of our faces, that we often let slip by.

So let me share a few of those good moments since the earthquake, in hopes of giving you something to think about this week before Christmas.

Romario Rojas, 9, got a new pair of legs from the Rotary Club of Caguas the other day. The boy, who lost his legs below the knee from a bout of meningitis, had a perky smile while strutting around his front yard like a peacock. The legs, which should last him until he's about 18, cost the Rotary Club $6,000. The boy said his dream is learning to play soccer.

A longtime public-housing resident marked 10 years as a Salvation Army bell ringer. Evelyn Febus, 43, stands outside a department store this time of year asking for donations for the least fortunate in society. Some might consider her among the least fortunate, but what does that say about how she views herself?

Someone gave an elderly homeless man, known only as Pedro, in Old San Juan a new pair of white socks and sneakers to cover the blisters and scabs on his feet.

The boat people who arrive here from the Dominican Republic are not all apprehended. Some actually do make it to a better life, unlike hundreds who are stopped at sea or drown.

The latest Department of Labor figures show Puerto Rico's unemployment rate is 10.1 percent, which is high by your standards. But for Puerto Rico, it's one of the lowest rates in a long, long time.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending Puerto Rico $384.6 million for those who lost their homes or had severe damage during Tropical Storm Jeanne. That means help should be arriving soon for the 205,000 homeowners waiting for help.

Authorities say the island's schools are getting safer, and there's no need to keep 1,000 police security officers on campus anymore. You may recall that a few months ago, a student brought a gun to school here and killed a classmate.

There you have it.

It's not so difficult to find the good that's part of our world. We just have to be open-minded enough to see it.